Box office analysts have officially confirmed that The Dark Knight Rises debuted with the third highest US opening of all time last weekend, $160.9m.

Warner Bros and other Hollywood studios showed their respect by refusing to report official figures over the weekend in the wake of the shootings at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado, in the early hours of Friday morning. However, the widely reported $160m estimated figure was confirmed on Monday, give or take a few percentage points. The final sum is only just higher than the $158m taken by Christopher Nolan's previous Batman film, The Dark Knight, on its 2008 debut. Experts had expected the final instalment in the trilogy which began with 2005's Batman Begins to rack up between $180m to $200m, suggesting that Friday's horrifying events may have dampened appetite.

James Holmes, 24, who is accused of murdering 12 people and injuring at least 58 in a mass shooting at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, on Monday made his first appearance in court. Sporting a shock of dyed orange hair and a prison jumpsuit, Holmes did not speak and appeared dazed during his 10-minute appearance.

Warner Bros announced on Monday that it is to make a "substantial" donation to charities supporting victims of the Aurora killings in the wake of the tragedy. It will support a fund named the Community First Foundation, which has been identified by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper on the website givingfirst.org as a vehicle to help those who suffered in the attack, along with their families.